Serving mechanism



prl l2, 1960 Filed May 27, 1958 D. R. VERSHBOW SERVING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Uovrzeys April 12, 1960 D. R. vERsHBow 2,932,403

SERVING MECHANISM l Filed May 27, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SERVING MECHANISM Application May 27, 1958, Serial No. 738,108

3 Claims. (Cl. 21149) This invention relates to serving mechanism including a vertically movable carrierY adapted to support a supply of articles such as dishes, table utensils, trays and the like, together with self-leveling means for automatically maintaining the articles at a constant and eiicient dispensing level as the top articles are` removed from the carrier. Such mechanism requires the employment of resilient means together with cable connections to the carrier and constantly urging the carrier upwardly to compensate for the articles removed. The primary object of the invention resides in the production of improved and more compact serving mechanism of this nature.

A further and more speciiic feature of the invention embodies simple adjusting mechanism associated with the resilient means and connected by a universal joint to a member rotatably mounted in the housing, rotation of said member being adapted to vary the eiective pull of the resilient means on the cable connection to compensate for varying loads on the carrier. The production of such adjusting means conveniently operable from the exterior of the housing comprises a further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention Will be best understood and -appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a serving unit embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating operating mechanism within the unit, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryview illustrating a detail.

'Ihe serving unit illustrated in the drawings comprises a hollow base 10 from the rear margin of which rises a vertical housing 11. A carrier 12 extends through two vertical solts 14 into the housing and projects therefrom horizontally in cantilever fashion over the base 10. The carrier is iixed to two plates 15 within the housing and two rollers 16 on each plate ride vertically within a guideway 18 in the housing, thus supporting the carrier in horizontal position. The carrier is suspended by two cables 19 and 20 secured thereto at one end of each cable and extending upwardly over sheaves 21 and 22. From thence the cable 20 extends transversely across the housing and about a sheave 24. A sheave 23 mounted in the housing coaxial of the sheave 21 cooperates with the cable 20 and sheave 24 fora purpose hereinafter described. The other ends of the cables are anchored .to the housing at 26 :and extend over a rod 28 ixed to the housing. From the yrod 28`and the sheaves 21 and United- State-S Pafsfif l '2 24-23 the intermediate portions of the cables extend downwardly in two spaced parallel loops at 30, the sheave 23 cooperating with sheave 24 to thus align the cable 20.

Two sheaves 32 respectively within and engaging the bottom ends of the cable loops at 30 are rotatably mounted on an axle 33 on one end of an arm 34. A screw threaded rod 35 is disposed longitudinally within the arm and journaled at its ends for rotation therein. The outer end of the rod is connected by a universal joint 36 to a member 38 rotatably mounted in the housing and adapted to be rotated by a handle 40 as indicated in Fig. 1. The universal joint serves both as a pivot support for the arm 34 and a rotary connection to the rod 35. A nut 42 threaded -to thev rod carries a bar 44 extending downwardly and outwardly through a slot in the arm. A plurality of tension springs 46 connected at their bottom ends to the housing at 48 and -at their top ends to the bar 44 normally draw the arm downwardly thus tensioning the cables and counterbalancing the weight of the carrier 12.

It will now be apparent that the resilient action of the springs 46 will constantly bias the -arm 34 downwardly about the pivot connection at 36, thus counterbalancing the weight of the carrier 12 together with its load. The placing of a load on the carrier will cause it to descend. YIn order -to compensate for increased load upon the carrier, and counterbalance it to the desired dispensing position the operator has only to rotate the rod 35 by means of the handle 40 engageable with the member 38 exteriorly of the housing 10. Such rotation advances the nut 42 in one direction or the other along the arm 34. When compensating for increased load the nut will be advanced in a `direction away from the pivot 36, thus increasing the effective down pull of the springs 46 on the arm and raising the carrier. It is also noted that the novel and compact arrangement of the parts above described and illustrated in the drawings permits the mounting of the housing 11 on the `rear margin of the base 10 with the carrier 12 disposed directly above the base and that this compact and eicient arrangement together with the convenient adjustment of the nut 42 from the member 38 exteriorly of the housing provides a superior serving mechanism of this nature.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Serving mehanism comprising in combination, a horizontal base, a housing on and extending upwardly from the rear margin of the base, means providing two vertical guideways in and at the vertical margins of the housing, a carrier extending horizontally over the base and supported for vertical sliding movement in the guideways, two cables connected at one end each to the carrier `and extending upwardly therefrom, means anchoring the other ends of the cables to the housing, means including sheaves supporting the cables for longitudinal movement and including means supporting the intermediate portion of the cables in two spaced and parallel loops extending downwardly in -the housing, two sheaves respectively within and engaging the bottom ends of the loops, means supporting said two sheaves, resilient means anchored to the .base beneath and connected to the sheaves supporting means and normally pulling the sheaves supporting means downwardly, and means carried by the sheaves supportingl means for varying the eiective pull of the resilient means on the sheaves supporting means pianta Apr, i2, v`19emwithout disconnecting any of the resilient means from the rotatably mounted in the housing and having a universal joint connection with the rod at the other end of the arm, said connection of the resilient means to the arm comprising a nut threaded to the rod.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jensen June 24, 1952 Larsen Nov. 5, 1957 

